Chapter 4
"Castle, Kate said, you were the one that disarmed the bomb. You are the hero here not me, they won't care about me."
"Sorry Kate you are going to be wrong on that point. You drove the car and stopped the van, the raw video I saw has a good look of you checking on Navia then coming to my side. Another angle had captured all of it from the back of the van, they got all of it including taking my hand and the hug afterwards." Castle replied sadly. "It is going to be everywhere, and there have already been questions about why I was the one to disarm it. That is only going to grow louder as people go into shock over the events and the failed cover up."
Rick looks over to his mother and daughter with pain etched across his features. Rick continues on speaking softly now. "I know I have said a lot tonight that you never knew about. I was trying to prevent you from worrying about Kate and I. We normally do not deal with bombs."
Alexis interrupts tears flowing down her face, "Dad, you sent us away. You knew, you knew about the bomb and you sent us away." Her voice breaks on the last word and the teenager buries her face into his shoulder crying and sniffling, trying to come to grips with the new knowledge.
Kate watches silently as Castle surprises her yet again, gone is the 12 year old, gone are the pithy quips and jokes, instead is a man, her partner, bearing his pain to the two women he cares most about in this world, telling them he willingly went off to die with her, rather than be safe with them. Because he had some need to help, to see her safe, not because of a job, or a paycheck. Because something threatened the city, the people, he loved. Because he knew she would never leave her duty, he never left her. The realization struck her finally. He would rather die than leave her.
"Shit" she muttered, her voice starting to rise, dealing with her feelings the only way she knew how, "Castle you, you, asshole!"
Rick looks up at her, rocking Alexis slightly, holding her close, surprise on his features, "Hunh, what did I do..?" Kate interrupts with heat rising in her voice, "You are a selfish, inconsiderate, exasperating, exhausting, JACKASS. "
"But, but' Rick tries to interject. "No buts, Castle, Kate interrupts, again, riding roughshod over the writer's soft voice, "you do not get to protect me from my job, you most certainly do not get to leave your family alone out of some misguided sense of chivalry, pretending to be a white knight and saving me from all manner of doom and death. Castle, you do not get to die for me. You have a family that needs you, that you love, and that loves you.
The three of them watch while Kate winds down from her anger, and in one voice they all reply to the overwhelmed detective, "You're family too."
The soft words hit Kate like hammers. Crumpling her to the floor, walls shattered, tears rise uncontrolled by wit or whim. Martha moves to the brunette's defeated form and kneels down, carefully taking her into her arms. "Darling, it is going to be alright, it is just the press, they can be managed, distracted, or deflected."
"It is not the press, the press can go hang themselves. It is him", she half sobs into Martha's shoulder, "he can't love me, he is not allowed, he's Richard freaking Castle, twice divorced, 12 year old on a sugar rush, will not stay in the car, pain in the ass, life saving, great kissing, assassin punching, bomb disarming, Richard freaking Castle!"
"Please note, she said "Great kissing", Rick interjects as Kate takes a breath.
A half sob, half laugh comes out of Kate's mouth, as she continues, "no you don't funny boy, you do not get to break my heart again, you do not get to love me like I love you."
"Kate you do realize, you are telling me what I can't do. I hope you know by now I am not going to listen." He replies with the beginnings of a real, full megawatt smile.
"Shit, shit, shit," Kate states in a half hearted voice, "what did I just say, what did I just admit, what are we going to do? Castle this is all your fault!"